Reparations and reconciliation in East Asia as a hot issue of tort law in the 21st century: Case studies, legal issues, and theoretical framework.

Source: (2011) Journal of Korean Law. 11: 101-122.

Reparations and reconciliation issues have been still marginalized in tort law in spite of
their pragmatic and theoretical importance in East Asian legal scholarship. On the other hand,
there are already many reparations lawsuits, especially relating to Japanese invasion and
colonization, on forced slave labor, comfort women, massacres in China. In this article, first,
we'll deal with why these legal cases have been unsuccessful so far in Japan, and the ways to
overcome legal obstacles. Second, we will discuss the mechanisms of reparation and its goal:
reconciliation and changes in international and racial relationship. The important role of an
apology, comparison of legal and moral reparations and the related issues will also be considered. (author's abstract)